Thursday, February 14, 2013

My good friend Dan Eldredge's debut novel is free today on Amazon. If you dig pirates, swordfighting, intrigue, sex and violence, this book is definitely worth your time. Allow me to copy the book's product description from Amazon:

Martyn and Arycke are two young nobles forced into hiding after
experiencing an act of unspeakable violence. They buy passage on the
Isalian frigate Selene, but after a bloody battle against two pirate
vessels, Martyn and Arycke find themselves shipwrecked castaways along
with a beautiful young woman, her ever-watchful grandfather, and the
rest of the Selene's crew.Unfortunately for the survivors,
they now find themselves stranded within reach of the pirate city of
Alnari. In short order, Martyn and Arycke find themselves fighting for
their lives, not only against marauding bands of savage pirates, but
mutinous elements within the Selene's own crew.

The shipwrecked
survivors are dragged into a maelstrom of vengeance and intrigue, as
rival pirate lords maneuver against each other for dominance over
Alnari. Martyn, Arycke, and the rest of the Selene's crew will need
every ounce of courage, cunning, and strength they possess if they hope
to escape alive...

The Pirates of Alnari is a gritty fantasy
adventure story filled with bloody naval battles and vicious sword
fights, combining the cutthroat political intrigue of George R.R.
Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire with the dashing nautical adventures of
Patrick O’Brian.

Thursday, January 3, 2013

Ander Plana, the artist responsible for the excellent new cover gracing Operation Arrowhead has now provided me with a cover for my pastiche Swords & Sorcery short story, NANOK and the Tower of Sorrows.

Although
it was a ton of fun to write, and I think it's a great read for fans of
Sword & Sorcery-style fantasy fiction, NANOK hasn't been
selling very well, so I decided to make the investment and get a new
cover. I think Ander's creation is pretty damn awesome - true to the
classic pulp fantasy cover feel, but with a more modern styling. I think
he also does a good job of making the cover unique while tying it in to
the general layout seen in my Commando covers.

Monday, December 17, 2012

I went to see this movie with six other people, ranging from die-hard
Tolkien fans to those who were tagging along mostly just to see a movie
with their friends. At the end of this three-hour adventure, the
impressions were unanimously positive, and I can't help but agree.

This movie is very clearly - far more clearly than the book, if you ask
me - a prequel to the Lord of the Rings films. A lot of the added
material, much of it events that are implied or could have easily
happened off-stage in the original story, sets up the relationships
between such powerful players as Saruman, Gandalf, Elrond, Galadriel,
and even the goofy but nevertheless very wise Radagast. This is the
prelude to war, even though the war doesn't come about for another sixty
years, and you can see the cunning of Gandalf as he moves his chess
pieces onto the board and begins to carefully position them for the
battle to come.

I had been wondering before seeing the film how they were going to take a
book that was shorter than any of the three LotR novels, and expand it
out into three whole movies. I think ultimately they did a serviceable
job, although it is clear in some areas that things were done for the
sake of making a good show of the story, rather than sticking to the
narrative. One good example of this is the battle between the storm
giants. I think this was an okay sequence, but at the same time, it
could have been skipped or just reduced to "this storm is too much for
us, we need to find shelter!". The storm giants are mentioned in passing
in the book, but that's it. For the most part, I think that's going to
be what we see in the next two films - things mentioned in passing or
just touched upon in the book are going to be expanded into their own
complete scenes, and we'll have to judge for ourselves whether this is
just Peter Jackson playing around in Middle-Earth, or if it ultimately
adds to the story in a meaningful way.

One aspect of the film that did actually bother me was the reliance on
CG for the orcs and goblins. In the first three films, while there was
some CG enhancement and sequences (the huge fights, the Moria goblins
spider-climbing along the caverns, etc.), When seen up close and
personal it was clear they were extras in costume. In this film, there
might have been a bare handful of costumed and made-up extras, but the
vast majority of bad guys are either wholly digital, or motion-captured
like Gollum. I think it took a little something away from the spirit of
the film, but such is the reality of making movies in the 21st century.

Regardless of a few quibbles I have about such things, I think this was
an impressive movie, and if the next two films can maintain the standard
set by An Unexpected Journey, I think this trilogy will stand tall next to their older siblings.

Monday, December 3, 2012

Please pardon the forthcoming preface, but I think it's important to set this review in the proper context...

The
indie publishing explosion over the last few years has given a lot of
people the opportunity to dust off their "desk drawer novels". You know,
that book you wrote back when you were in grad school, typed on your
girlfriends Mac in the wee hours of the morning? As soon as you got a
real job, you left your dreams of becoming a writer behind, figuring
there's no way you had the time or connections to break into the world
of big time publishing. But it's still there, a printout sitting in your
desk drawer, a little battered and faded, but every so often, you take
it out, thumb through it, and wonder about what it might have been like
to be a "Novelist".

Well, thanks to new technologies
such as tablets, ebook readers, print-on-demand services, and so forth,
becoming a published author is well within the reach of anyone who has
the time and energy to tackle the process. Of course "The Process" is a
600-pound Sumo wrestler, and he's pretty unforgiving. Those folks who
just re-type that desk drawer novel and throw it up on Amazon expecting
to reap the royalties from thousands of ebook sales are in for a rude
awakening. Even the people who follow all the advice and recommendations
they see online given by dozens of successful indie authors may well
find themselves staring at the "brown bar of shame" - the colored
indicator in Amazon's Kindle Direct Publishing report page that shows no
sales for the month.

Years ago, a college friend of
mine mentioned to me that he'd written a few fantasy novels, and asked
if I'd wanted to read them. at the time (probably back in the early
90's) he'd farmed the manuscripts out to the usual Sci-Fi / Fantasy
houses, and hadn't had any luck. I gave them a read, and although they
were the works of an amateur author, I still found them fun and
enjoyable stories. But as time went on and we both grew older, not only
did I give up my own notions of becoming an author, but so did my
friend. These became his "desk drawer novels".

Flash
forward more than a decade. After helping me as a beta reader, editor,
and endless source of support and counsel regarding my own books, my
friend Dan decided to take the best of his old novels, strip it down to
its barest elements, and re-write the entire book from soup to nuts.
This process took more than a year, and after the draft was written
there was the editing, beta reading, discussions of plot and character,
so on and so forth. "The Process" is a real bear under the best of
circumstances, but Dan's a busy guy, with a full time job and two young
kids who keep him on his toes 24/7, so taking the journey from desk
drawer novel to a completely rewritten manuscript ready for publishing
was especially daunting.

At the end of it all, however, the result is a damn fine book.

The Pirates of Alnari
is a "hard fantasy" novel, meaning it is set in a different world, but
there is no magic, no elves, no demons or wizards, dungeons or
dragons. You could consider it an alternate reality or an Earth that
never was. The setting is roughly analogous to 15th-16th century Europe,
although there are elements that feel more 18th or early 19th century.
Regardless, the level of detail and realism is such that you are quickly
pulled into the setting, and any notion that this is a "fantasy" world
falls by the wayside.

The story revolves around two
young noblemen, Martyn and Arycke. The book begins with them having just
participated in something horrible and violent, but the details are
left hidden to the reader - this is important, because the mystery of
what happened will be slowly revealed throughout the book. Needless to
say, there is more than one side to the story. The two young men feel
that they need to flee the country, and so travel to the nearest port
city and book passage on the first ship that'll get them away. Their
ship is the Selene, an Isalian navy frigate willing to take on a
few passengers during her voyage. Martyn and Arycke have never taken a
sea voyage before, and the experience is new and exciting - even more
so, when a beautiful young woman is brought on board as another
passenger, along with her ever-watchful grandfather. Arycke, who has an
ever-roving eye, immediately begins pursuing the young woman, much to
Martyn's annoyance.

The sea voyage quickly turns deadly serious, however, when the ship encounters a pirate vessel. Being a Navy frigate, it is the Selene's
duty to deal with pirates wherever they are found. But the battle
against the pirates turns into a much more brutal affair than first
expected, and the Selene is badly damaged. The ship is eventually
lost on a reef during a storm, and the survivors - about a hundred of
the ship's crew and the passengers - are stranded along a foreign coast.

Unfortunately for the survivors, the coast they're now inhabiting is claimed by pirates. A whole city of pirates.

I
don't want to give away any more of the plot. However, what progresses
from this point on is a whirlwind of battles and intrigue, murder and
revenge, plot and counter-plot. Characters have multiple agendas and not
everyone is as they seem. The survivors of the shipwreck must struggle
to avoid capture or death at the hands of different pirate factions, as
well as the threat of mutiny among their own number. The pirates
constantly maneuver against each other for dominance over Alnari, using
any means - violence, sex, money, political influence - at their
disposal.

The author holds the works of George R. R. Martin, especially his Song of Ice and Fire
series, in high regard, and its influence on the book is evident by
both the complex relationships among the characters, and the stark
brutality of the combat sequences. The author is well-versed in
swordsmanship and medieval combat, and this comes through in the many
swordfights throughout the book. Limbs are sheared away, heads roll,
guts spill, and blood is drawn by the bucketful. Not only are the
battles violent and well-scripted, but it is clear from early on that no
character is safe from the author's killing stroke.

Also
evident is the author's knowledge of the Age of Sail. There are many
details regarding ship navigation and operation, as well as the day to
day lives of those aboard ships, and the organization of sailing navies
and their military exploits. Although the setting is analogous to the
1400s and early 1500s, the maritime aspects of the book seem to carry
the influence of master maritime novelist Patrick O'Brian, whose
Napoleonic naval adventures are second to none. Fans of O'Brian's Aubrey
and Maturin novels will feel right at home in this book, despite the
otherworldly setting.

Overall, The Pirates of Alnari
is a strong, exciting adventure and displays the author's skill as a
storyteller. While this is Dan Eldredge's first published novel, I know
we'll see more works from him in the years to come, and I look forward
to reading them.

Currently The Pirates of Alnari is only available on Amazon as an ebook, but the paperback should be available in early 2013.

Thursday, July 26, 2012

I really wish Amazon had a feature for authors that allowed you to be alerted when a new review was posted of your works, because this one's a few days old. However, I just have to share with you the following review for NANOK and the Tower of Sorrows:

One more sip of Michael Moorcock's too-absinthe-for-its-own-good Elric
threatens to make you ill? Mix one part Marvel's old B&W Savage
Sword of Conan with one part trash-talking Schwarzenegger action flick,
add a splash of Lloyd Alexander's The Chronicles of Prydian and two
splashes Sergio Aragones' Groo, shake violently to the consistency of
frothy blood, and the resulting refreshing cocktail is Nanok and the
Tower of Sorrows. Will there be a chaser Mr. Badelaire?

Mr. Molesworth, there will indeed be a followup to NatToS. I know the broad-brushstrokes version of the plot, I just don't know when it will be written. Once I get COMMANDO: Operation Arrowhead out the door, I want to write a sequel to Rivalry, then perhaps the Nanok sequel, before I work on the next novel.

Friday, June 15, 2012

After a two-year gestation, my vigilante revenge novel Killer Instincts
has gone live on Amazon via Kindle Direct Publishing. If you're
interested in checking it out, click on the link in the left-hand
sidebar.

For the majority of you who've never heard or seen me talk about it...

Killer Instincts is the story of William Lynch, an upper-middle
class college junior, whose parents and teenage sister are killed in a
mob hit while he's in Paris during spring break in March of 2001.
William's father is a hotshot DA in Boston, attempting to prosecute
Pauly Paggiano, the son of a minor-league crime boss, for the rape and
murder of a young college girl. In order to deliver a savage message to
the eyewitnesses in the case - the only real evidence the prosecution
has - the Paggianos kill William's family and burn their Providence home
to the ground.

William is informed of the tragedy by his estranged uncle Jamie Lynch, a
Vietnam veteran and former SOG Green Beret. Jamie leads a reclusive
existence in Maine, where he owns a log cabin on the shore of Moosehead
Lake and works in a sporting goods shop. William has only met his uncle a
handful of times over the years; both of William's parents were against
Jamie having much contact with their son, worried that Jamie - whose
views on war and violence can be disturbing - would somehow "corrupt"
their son into a warmonger. Jamie was a soldier who thrived in combat,
and after the war he spent a number of years participating in activities
that can only be described as morally ambiguous...

Now, Jamie is the only family William has left. Meeting for the first
time in years, Jamie reveals to William the reasons behind his family's
slaughter; the court case against Pauly Paggiano, how the eyewitnesses
have all withdrawn their testimonies or otherwise backed out of the
case, and how the case against Pauly has been thrown out. Faced with the
enormity of what has happened to him, William realizes that at 21, any
hope he has for a normal life has been erased by this terrible act.
Feeling he doesn't have anything to lose, since his future has been so
horribly ruined, William decides he's going to find a way to avenge his
family and destroy the Paggianos. He begs Jamie to join with him in his
crusade, but Jamie refuses, declaring that he can't go back to that way
of life after decades of maintaining a civilized existence. Seeing his
nephew is committed to this idea with or without his help, Jamie
begrudgingly admits that, although he's not going to help William, he
knows someone who can.

Jamie introduces his nephew to Richard, a mysterious, eccentric Texan
who made his living for decades as a professional mercenary. Although
he's now retired from taking active assignments, Richard has a network
of contacts and resources he'd be willing to provide to William, for a
price. After some consideration, William decides that he wouldn't feel
right contracting the Paggiano's destruction; he wants to keep the
revenge personal. So, for a hundred thousand dollars (plus expenses),
Richard agrees to mentor William through an intense, month-long training
and indoctrination regimen out in the Texas desert.

What takes place next is the mental and physical transformation of a
peaceful, white-collar college student into a bloody-minded vigilante
killer. And then the fun really begins...

Friday, April 6, 2012

Since this weekend is the Anime Boston convention here in my fair city, I thought today's post would be appropriate. I'm not a huge fan of Anime in general, but there are a number of titles I really enjoy. People who say they "don't like Anime" always perplex me, because Anime is such a vast, wildly heterogeneous mix of visual and storytelling styles, that to declare you don't like "Anime" is pretty much like saying "I don't like Hollywood movies". If you're going to say that, you need to realize that your statement encompasses a massive body of work.

Anyhow, one of the series I've recently gotten into is Guin Saga. Originally a series of 130 "light novels" (a Japanese equivalent to Young Adult / Pulp Fiction paperbacks, quick, simple, easy reads), a portion of the Saga has been made into an Anime series. The main protagonist, a warrior named Guin, awakes in a mysterious forest to discover that he has the head of a leopard and an almost complete case of amnesia. Pretty whacked out, eh? Guin finds and rescues Remus and Rinda, twins and the heirs to the kingdom of Parros, a nation that had just been invaded and conquered by the rival kingdom of Mongaul. Remus and Rinda are hunted by the armies of Mongaul, and Guin becomes their guardian. The story then unfolds as Guin searches for why he has the head of a leopard and why he can't remember anything, while he protects the twins against the Mongauli hunting them down.

This sounds...kind of bizarre. But if you substituted "Conan" for "Guin", you'd have a sense of the sort of Swords & Sorcery badassery that goes on in Guin. It is not your Dragonball Z -esque fantasy anime series by any means. Considering the novel series was begun in the late 1970's, it carries with it a very vintage, Heroic Fantasy feel that those with more traditional sensibilities may approve of.

I found the opening trailer on YouTube:

For a taste of the story itself, this is where Guin meets and rescues the twins. Guin's strength is somewhat over-exaggerated in this fight; later battles aren't shown in such over-the-top insanity, but I think this was done to emphasize just how powerful a warrior Guin is compared to the "average" man.

Those of you who have Netflix can find and watch the entirety of Guin Saga there. Otherwise, you can buy the DVDs off of Amazon or probably any other major DVD/Anime retailer.